Description

Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua

This Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua woody and peppery smoke earned a 95-point rating and ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ honors from Cigar Aficionado for 2021. It’s handmade in Nicaragua and blended by AJ Fernandez entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos, including its oily, deep-brown wrapper leaf. Zesty notes of leather, red pepper, and milk chocolate cover the palate with a malty texture before a pronounced finish pulses in the nostrils and over the taste buds. Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua adds new dimension to the brand’s historic portfolio.

As has been mentioned many times on this website, anniversaries are oftentimes a big deal in the cigar industry; therefore, it hardly comes as a surprise when a new blend and/or line is announced to commemorate a specific occasion.

Thus was the case back in October 2020, when Altadis U.S.A. announced it would be releasing Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand. The new line includes four different vitolas, all of which are box-pressed and are being produced by someone who is well known to Altadis U.S.A.—namely Abdel Fernandez—after he had previously made a number of cigars for the company.

“To honor the age-old tradition of soft-pressing cigars, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua will be introduced as a soft-pressed series of four sizes,” said Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Tabacalera USA, in a press release. “The cigar offers a luxury showcase from seed to smoke that combines classic craftsmanship and extra-aged estate tobaccos from Nicaragua’s best growing regions.”

Blend-wise, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is a Nicaraguan puro made with tobacco grown on Fernandez’s farms. It is also being rolled at Fernandez’s San Lotano factory located in Ocotál, Nicaragua. Three of the four box-pressed vitolas in the line are packaged in 10-count boxes, while the 5 1/2 x 46 Demi is being sold in 20-count boxes.

Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua For Sale

The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2 is covered in a deep, dark brown wrapper that is extremely rough to the touch and also includes a number of major veins as well as plenty of oil. It is fairly hard when squeezed, but the soft box-press is a very nice visual touch. Aroma from the foot and wrapper is a combination of peanut shells, sweet earth, leather, barnyard, hay and oak, while the cold draw brings flavors of creamy oak, leather, earth, clay, espresso beans, almonds and a touch of floral sweetness.

I am taken aback by the first 10 puffs or so of the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary for sale, as a punishing combination of aggressive black pepper on the retrohale and spice on my tongue almost blows my head off whenever I try to retrohale. Thankfully, both die down fairly quickly, leaving behind distinct flavors of freshly brewed black coffee and leather as the dominant combination, followed closely by notes of creamy oak, popcorn, earth, hay, cinnamon, and a very slight vegetal flavor bringing up the rear. I also pick up some very distinct caramel sweetness and black pepper on the retrohale as the first third burns down, the former seems to be increasing in strength while the latter continues to recede. In terms of construction, the draw is excellent after a simple Dickman cut and the burn line is almost perfectly straight so far, while the smoke production is off of-the-charts high. Strength-wise, the Montecristo 1935 shows its hand early on, easily hitting a point closer to medium than mild as the first third comes to an end.